3 Takeaways:
-When space permits, an island has become the heart of the room.-White is still the go-to color for kitchens, but other colors are gaining momentum in personalization.Z-ones for tasks like baking, coffee making, and working are the new way to separate space.
Kitchen trends are like fashion—wait a season and this color will be in and that one out. But the changes since the start of the pandemic a year ago have emerged to keep the room true to its moniker as the heart of the house.
Continue…https://magazine.realtor/for-brokers/feature/article/2021/03/10-ways-the-kitchen-is-evolving-for-greater-efficiency-health

Water is not always our friend. Sure, we drink it, swim in it, and need it to survive, but when it comes to homes, it can destroy the foundation, says home inspector Thomas Dabb of Immaculate Home Inspections in South Orange, N.J.
Water can enter a home from the exterior and interior, so buyers and homeowners need to keep their eyes open for signs of its presence—or worse—its damage.
The good news is that there are many experts available to spot and diagnose a problem and suggest the best fix. Water expert Steve Barckley with Exceptional Stone Products in Livingston, N.J., believes that homeowners should start by doing everything possible on the outside of the homes to correct problems and divert water away from a foundation.
Share these seven solutions with clients to help them minimize a foundation’s damage in various scenarios.
Continue… https://magazine.realtor/home-and-design/feature/article/2021/09/7-fixes-to-avoid-major-foundation-problems

A new era of affordable, fast-built, more sustainable homes is underway
Key Takeaways:
-Using 3D printing in the creation of a home reduces waste and labor costs.-Construction tech companies can 3D-print the frame and walls of a house in under 48 hours. -The high initial costs of the technology are likely to keep 3D-printed homes a niche product for now.
With home prices rising and housing inventory tight, home buyers are craving a wider variety of options in a competitive market. While construction has picked up, labor shortages and the rising cost of lumber remain challenges. The U.S. is nearly 5 million homes short of meeting market demand. A new crop of companies say they have a solution: 3D printing technology. And their work could transform the way we build houses on a broader scale.
Continue…https://magazine.realtor/technology/feature/article/2021/07/the-3d-printed-home-option

Take steps to protect the house during the colder months. A lot of times that starts with the gutters. Unkept gutters can wreak havoc on a home during winter. Leaf Home, a company that offers home solutions, offers the following winter checklist to help homeowners prevent seasonal damage to their home.
Check your gutters for seasonal debris.
Make sure to remove leaves that have fallen into your gutters and check that pests or small animals did not seek shelter in them as they prepare for the colder months. Seasonal checks allow homeowners to ensure their gutters are in good condition, as it’s common for underlying problems to appear during the winter.
Continue…https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2021/12/22/how-to-prevent-seasonal-property-damage

With growing demand for home remodeling and construction material shortages, budgeting accordingly for house projects has been unpredictable. Many homeowners may be getting sticker-shocked at how much certain house projects and repairs are costing.
HomeAdvisor surveyed more than 900 consumers to learn about their outlook on home improvement and how accurately they estimate specific projects.
Interior painting has been one of the most popular home improvement projects ever since the pandemic began. Yet, more than 25% of homeowners underestimate interior painting costs, the study found. About a quarter of homeowners underestimate interior painting costs by about 50%.
https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2021/12/21/homeowners-misjudge-costs-of-these-renovation-projects

Buyers have been drawn to new-home construction as existing housing inventories remain lean. Builders have struggled to ramp up construction even more due to the high demand as building materials, labor, and lot shortages loom.
However, builders say they’re building as much as they can and as quickly as they can given such challenges.
Housing starts for both single-family and multifamily homes rose 11.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.68 million units in November, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Census Bureau reported on Thursday. Broken out, single-family housing starts increased 11.3% to a 1.17 million annual rate while the multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, climbed 12.9% to an annual 506,000 pace.
https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2021/12/17/housing-starts-pick-up-as-2021-comes-to-a-close

The housing market still remains ultra-competitive in some parts of the country, despite what is typically a slowdown in real estate. A four-bedroom, 2,400-square foot newly remodeled home in San Francisco recently sold for $3.5 million—40% more than the initial asking price of $2.5 million. That is $1 million above list price.
The home fetched three offers in three days. All three offers were more than $500,000 above the asking price, Compass listing agents Richard Woo and Holly Phan told KRON-4 News.
“We didn’t price the house low—it was priced based on area comps so when we saw the offer come in at more than $1 million over asking with no contingencies, it was amazing and we thought, is this real?” Woo told KRON-4 News.
Continue… https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2021/12/20/san-francisco-home-sells-for-1m-above-asking-price

The housing market is hot, but some homeowners may overestimate just how hot it is when they go to sell. Real estate professionals shared with realtor.com® a few unrealistic expectationss that some of their sellers have had, such as that their home has doubled in value since they bought it or that they shouldn’t have to make any repairs before closing.
“One of the biggest mistakes sellers can make is going with aspirational pricing just because it is a seller’s market,” Jeremy Bolger, a real estate salesperson with Brown Harris Stevens in New York City, told realtor.com®. “We have seen many deals get multiple offers and go at or over ask, but they almost always stem from buyers sensing some form of value. And if there is no perceived value, buyers will often stay on the sidelines, even with limited inventory.”
Continue…https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2021/12/14/misconceptions-about-a-seller-s-market

Many paint firms have selected a green hue for their 2022 top color pick, but Pantone is making a much bolder choice. Could this be another hot color for home interiors in the new year?
The 2022 Pantone color of the year is Very Peri, a periwinkle blue with violet-red undertones. The color was created by Pantone specifically as the color of the year. The bright color is intended to evoke comfort and courage in unpredictable times, Pantone says.
The paint firm says the color can serve as a “much-needed” color pop in the home. They believe it’ll be a hot color choice for bolder home accessories and an eye-catching hue mixed into a pattern or painted on a colorful accent wall or a ceiling to create depth.
Continue… https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2021/12/09/pantone-s-2022-color-of-the-year-breaks-from-pack

Mortgage rates held steady this week as the world awaits more information about the severity of the omicron variant of COVID-19 and ongoing supply chain issues. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.11%, Freddie Mac reports.
“Mortgage rates continue to remain stable notwithstanding volatility in the financial markets,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The consistency of rates in the face of changes in the economy is primarily due to the evolution of the pandemic, which lingers and continues to pose uncertainty. This low mortgage rate environment offers favorable conditions for refinancing.”
Continue…https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2021/12/03/mortgage-rates-remain-stable-for-now